Of course Kerry would be close to my heart and I visit lovely Dingle quite often so I definatley think that Ventry should be included in my reasons to love Ireland. It is a typical old rural Ireland Village – about 4 miles long with the church on one side and the school on the other side but it is the scenery in between that really takes your breath away. The name comes from the Irish Ceann Trá or ‘Beach Head’ which is from the long sandy beach area but further back along the road brings you to stunning Dunbeg fort, behive forts, the Famine Cottage and of course Páidí Ó Sé’s pub which is located across the road from the church.

I have vivid memories of the shop across from Páidí’s in the aftermath of GAA games when I was young. The parents would congragate in the pub and we battled with our abismal Irish to try to buy sweets from the Irish speaking shop owners. They didn’t give us an inch – us non native speakers from the wilds of the north of the Kerry!

On school tours we loved Dunbeg fort – enchanted by the underground passageways and the possibilities they held – though secretly scared out of our wits about them!

There is so much to see on this short drive through Ventry and then so much more on the rest of the Dingle Penninsula that it would be a shame to miss out if a trip to Kerry is on the agenda!